26 RECORDS OF OLD TIMES 



merit for them to return home till the middle or end 

 of July. 



The ' riding ' post-horse was generally a good 

 specimen of a fairly useful weight-carrying hunter 

 of the present day, trotting well, with head and tail 

 up, at about ten miles an hour, and capable of draw- 

 ing half a ton behind him, with the boy, about eight 

 stone, on his back in addition. He usually cost about 

 30/. As a riding horse he generally lasted about 

 four or five years, when he became rather unsafe to 

 ride, and was called a ' hand horse,' from being 

 placed on the offside of the pole of the carriage, 

 and was but rarely ridden afterwards. Throughout 

 the kingdom there were almost invariably two rival 

 posting-houses in every important town, at one 

 establishment the post-boys riding in blue jackets, 

 the other in yellow, with black or white top hats, 

 drab cloth or leather breeches, and top boots. The 

 blue and yellow jackets had their own line, and ran 

 to the same houses of each colour throughout the 

 country. I have heard a gentleman say that he 

 had travelled from York to London, beginning with 

 a blue jacket, without deviation the whole distance, 

 never having got on the yellow line. The riders, 

 who were called post-boys, were often very old 

 fellows. 'Old Humphrey' lived with my father, 

 and ' drove post ' for over forty-five years, and it 

 was never known how old he was. (According to 

 Sam Weller, nobody ever saw a dead post-boy.) 



The post-horse duty was collected in this wise. 

 When the horses at each stage were being changed. 



